Folding auto tent



Jan. 11, 1966 T. F. JAMBA 3,228,406

FOLDING AUTO TENT Filed April 2'7, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. THEODORE F. JAMBA ATTORNEY Jan. 11, 1966 JAMBA 3,228,406

FOLDING AUTO TENT Filed April 27, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

THEODORE F. JAMBA ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,228,406 FOLDING AUTO TENT Theodore F. Jamba, 22 James St., Binghamton, N.Y. Filed Apr. 27, 1964, Ser. No. 362,609 1 Claim. (Cl. 135-4) This invention relates to portable folding tents and, particularly, to the improved construction of tents which may be carried on the roof of a motor vehicle.

It is the primary object of the invention to provide a tent assembly which may be attached to supports strapped to the roof of a motor vehicle.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a tent assembly which, in a collapsible form, may be carried on the roof of a vehicle and be hingedly supported thereon for quick erection.

A particular feature of the invention resides in the economy of construction and simplicity of operation of a folding or collapsible tent support to be carried on the vehicle for outings or camping trips.

A further feature of the invention is that, in one form of its application, the tent construction utilizes the Vehicle as the support for one side of the erected tent or, in another form of its application, the tent may be erected separate from the carrier.

Other objects and features will be apparent from the following description of the invention, pointed out in particularity in the appended claim, and taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle with the folding tent assembly attached to the roof thereof;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the vehicle of FIG. 1 with the folding tent assembly in the process of being erected;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the tent, fully erected, and supported on one side of the carrying vehicle;

FIG. 4 is a perspective, detailed view of the mounting block and parts thereof;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of one form of fastener which may be used for attaching the tent material to the frame;

FIG. 6 is an exploded view in perspective of the entire tent assembly; and

FIG. 7 is a top, fragmentary view of the linkage and hinge support attached to the car top.

Referring to the figures, it is seen that the folding auto tent of the present invention forms a simple assembly which may be carried on the roof of any vehicle without damaging it in any way. It may be taken off, if desired, and maybe attached without requiring the drilling of holes or providing for permanent mounting means requiring alterations in the car body.

Essentially, the tent structure comprises a pair of frame members 10 and 11 which are preferably in the form of shallow trays made of light-weight metal or plastic material and are hinged together in a special manner to be described later. Along the sides of the members 10 and 11 are a series of perforations 13 which correspond to similar perforations 13' in the tent material 14. While various types of materials used for outdoor tents may be employed, it is preferable to use plastics such as poly ethylene which is very durable, completely waterproof, and light in weight.

The frame members 10 and 11 are hinged by a tongue and groove assembly in that the member 11 has one side of a forked hinge element 16 and the member 10 a tongue 17 which fits into the groove formed by the hinge element 16. Similarly, at the opposite end, the frame member 10 has a forked hinge element 16', and the frame member 11 a tongue element 17'.

Pins 18 and 18', respectively, fit into corresponding sockets in the hinge elements so as to secure the frame members together and permit folding, as seen in FIG. 2. The abutting frame members 10 and 11 form a narrow channel and the tent material 14 is cut in such a manner that it will fit under the channel, being fastened on the inner side of the abutting members 10 and 11 by means of corresponding eyelets 19. This construction provides water-tight closure and a crease 21 around which the tent material is folded when the trays 10 and 11 are collapsed as seen in FIG. 2.

The fastening of the tent material 14 by corresponding perforations and eyelets may be effected in any desired manner, utilizing conventional button fasteners. A particular type of fastener found to be simple and effective for this purpose is illustrated in FIG. 5. It consists of a flange 22 carrying a stem 23 which fits into the perforations in the wall 24 of the frames and a flexible plastic cap 25 having a disc portion 26 fitting over the stem 23 in such a manner that the tent material 14 is cushioned by the cap 25 and the disc member 26.

The attachment of the frames 10 and 11 to the car roof 27 is effected in a simple manner by the use of supports 28 as seen in FIG. 4. These consist essentially of a block having a triangular configuration, the bottom portion 29 thereof being curved to fit the contours of the car top 27. A laterally extending member 30 has a channel 31 to accommodate a strap which is supported on suction cups 32 attached to the car top 27. The upper portion of the block 28 forms a bifurcated member having pivot bearings 33 and 33' accommodating a pin 34 which has a cutout 35 which slideably accommodates the link member 36. The latter consists of a bar having an eyelet 37 at one end which, as seen in FIG. 6 is pivotally supported over the pin 38 in the hinge element of the frame 11.

The slide fit of the link members 36 in the cutout 35 of the pin 34 permits vertical adjustment of the height of the frame member 11 with respect to the roof 27 of the carrying vehicle so that the erected tent may be adjusted to the particular terrain. A set screw 41 fitting into the pin 34 provides for securing the required height of the link member 36. The front portion of the frame 10 is equipped with receptacles 42 and 42 which accommodate erecting poles 43 and 44, respectively.

From the above description, it is seen that the folding tent assembly, in accordance with the invention, represents a practical structure with relatively few parts and may be erected without requiring the bringing together of a number of separately carried component elements. The shallow trays or frame members 10 and 11, when folded one over the other, accommodate the tent material and enclose this completely when carried on the roof of a vehicle. The erecting poles 43 and 44 may be made of telescoping members or in several parts so that these can be placed inside the collapsible tent assembly. Preferably the tent material has a bottom portion as part of the entire structure with a side opening, as seen in FIG. 6, forming the entrance into the tent. The hinge assembly is easily removable so that the tent may be erected separate from the car by the use of additional support poles fitting in place of the link members 36.

A series of eyelets 45 along the lower edge of the tent material may be used in the conventional manner to stake the tent solidly into the ground.

What is claimed is:

In a tent assembly adapted to be carried on a roof of a vehicle, a pair of supports each comprising a shallow inverted tray structure of light-weight metal having a top and side walls forming a rectangular frame, said side Walls having spaced apertures, fasteners cooperating with said apertures for afiixing the tent material, hinge means between said frames permitting the stacking of said frames in closed position one above the other, a pair of link members attached to one of said frames, said members being adapted to be pivoted in support blocks attached to said vehicle roof and a pair of receptacles extending from the other of said frames for accommodating support poles for said tent, said support blocks comprising a pair of vertica1- 1y extending forked members each having a transversepivoted bar, said bars having an aperture transverse to the axis thereof slidably accommodating a link member, whereby the height of said assembly may be adjusted with respect to the roof of the carrying vehicle.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Knapp.

Olson l4 Berry et a1 24-208 X Hartzner.

White 20-2 Churchill 4 Zenbe 1353 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain.

HARRISON R. MOSELEY, Primary Examiner.

L. J, SANTISI, Assistant Examiner. 

